reflection

Hello lads! I have just bought myself a BMW 520i E60 2004 model, unfortunatly I bought it privat something I realise I shouldn't have done. The car has been to a garage to fix some scratches I got, and while it was there they noticed my battery was flooded with 1-2 cms of water. I havn't yet removed the sparetire thing to check if the electric part underneath it is wet, but will do this tomorrow aswell.

My issue is that I removed the stuff in the trunk hiding the battery / fuses and what not, to get hold of the hoses which I understood should lead water into the wheel area? Correct me if I am wrong. The problem is I couldn't find this hose, and was wondering if I am looking at the wrong place?

Also, if anyone has any ideas to how I can fix this.. getting the water thats already inside away, preventing any further leekage I would apreciate it a lot! I don't have the cash to send the car to a garage to fix the electronics if this should go to straight to hell.

- Jannick.

sanjsanj

do you have a sunroof? the drain pipes from them can easily get blocked up, causing this kind of leak

reflection

Yep, I do have a sunroof.. Was checking for the drainpipes last night, but couldn't actually locate them anywhere. Got any tip as to where they are place and what I could do to open them?

sanjsanj

I don't have a sunroof so can't really comment, but my best guesses are:

a) remove battery, and you will see a hole that's plugged up with a rubber or something. remove this in the mean time, to have an exit for water.
b) search for sunroof drain on here
c) open up sunroof fully, stand up through it and look around carefully, you should see holes for the drain pipes somewhere
d) I would expect the pipes to be somewhere around the fuel filler door lock mechanism on the INSIDE of the car, behind the carpet piece you have to remove to gain access to the battery. Try and look for it around here...

tau1

Also check quality of the sunroof seal itself. They leak over time, and it was more of a problem on E60s before late 2005. Was a service bulletin on it.

delje08

Here is your problem. Rear Ventillation. Part #64226910722

Had this problem couple months ago when i was going to change my battery i saw water. This happens when you wash your car and water goes between the rear bumper and rear quater panel. I sprayed water and saw water going thru the ventillation seal. The seal of the Rear Ventillation goes bad. I replaced mine and glued it also, sprayed water to see "viola" no more water going thur.

Only Bimmers

I just got done with a huge pain of pulling the interior carpet up. I accidentally discovered water in the trunk, under back seat, and passenger area under rug (lots). So 2 weeks of tearing the car down and fixing stuff along with drying with high powered fan. There are PDF's i found floating around for all of this below.

The area i had to service were:
(1) Front E-Box drain. Remove right front wheel, Unscrew back part of wheel well liner and pull down. You will see an odd shaped drain up top. Simply pull it out, clean it and insert it again.
(2) Front drains, just tested. Small holes located at front of sunroof cassette. Blow out with air and then test with turkey baster. Drain exit is located in the front door jam. Rubber boot.
(3) Rear drains (PITA). Remove rear wheels. Removed rear wheel well liners. You will see an odd looking rubber spout at the top of the wheel arch. Grab and pull it out. Leave it out.
(3a) Remove C pillar covers, pull down rear door seals, remove third brake light cover, Remove rear headliner handles.
(3b) Looking from the door into the car pull down on the headliner and you will see the rear drain with hose. Remove hose.
(3c) Blow air down and clear out, use turkey baster and pur water int he tube to test.
(3d) Apply silicone RTV All over the white plastic part that meets each corner of the sunroof where the drain attaches to and let dry. Also put a little around drain tube neck and install. Possibly lightly zip tie.
(3e) Test for water tightness and leaks.
(4) Replace sunroof seal (open shuttle and listen to see if it is noisy) if it is, replace it.

ey2001

do you have to remove your bumper to remove this?

tonyb635

Sadly to say, there are several sources for this water leak. The front drains for the sunroof are in the corners of the frame, a little hard to see but if you get a light you can see them. I would park car in a way to ensure water would run that direction and pour a small amount of water in there and you should see it come out within a couple seconds just behind the wheel. Do each drain (4) this way to ensure they are not clogged. I could also be that the drain line has a hole or tear in it somewhere. Blow a little compresses air in there to dislodge any junk that may have built up. Check your trunk louver vent. Maybe even tape it up for a test and replace if you think its not working. If it's bad and you replaces it, and its working correctly, there is no need to seal it up. The vent is there for a reason. Of course you can do what you want, but again,if its functioning correctly it will not leak unless defective. Also another good replacement is your outer sunroof seal. It may look ok, but if it's more than 4 yrs old it needs to be replaced. You will be amazed of the results from a new seal! They become hard over time and the new seals are very soft.